Cool Place of the Day: The Percy Arms, Surrey
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You don't generally expect to walk through a door from a vibrant village pub in the Home Counties and find yourself in a little corner of South Africa, but that's exactly what you get at the Percy in Chilworth. And if that description sets off warning bells, fear not – the South African influences on this once quintessentially English inn have been introduced with taste and style, and it adds up to a unique sleeping experience.
The five rooms all have a distinct colonial theme, and all are named after one of the 'Big Five' game animals in Zulu and other African dialects. There are two super-large rooms: Ndlov (elephant) and Ingwe (leopard) – both with gigantic double beds and roll-top slipper baths – plus two regular doubles: Tau (lion) and Nyati (water buffalo), with king-size beds. The fifth room, Tshukudu (rhino), is a twin, which can be converted into a double. Breakfast also comes with a South African option – think boerewors (super-meaty sausages) with chakalaka (spicey veggie relish) – as does dinner, in the form of steak cooked to South African standards (which is melt-in-your-mouth brilliant).
Chilworth itself is a medium-sized village that sits just below the Chantries and St Marthas, both very popular with walkers, and close to the beautiful village of Albury. There are myriad hiking and biking trails around this scenic area, and you're only a few miles from Guildford.
Cool Places is a new website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)
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